Saw a Bug! Pest-Free Garden Update

Reader Contribution by Lois Hoffman
Published on September 26, 2019
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A couple years ago there used to be a television commercial where a woman screams, “Saw a bug!” and then she immediately calls an exterminator. Well, that is me in the garden. The other day I saw a potato bug and that started the ball rolling because, as we all know, seeing one bug means that soon that one bug will turn into a gazillion…however many that is.

Three years ago, I decided that if I was going to have a garden, I was going to control bugs, critters and weeds organically. I wanted to return to the days that we could pick a fruit or vegetable off the vine and eat it right then and there, when it tastes the freshest and not worry about pesticides or other chemicals. Needless to say, I met with a lot of guffaws and skepticism.

I am happy to say that my mission is accomplished and I will proudly put my garden up against any one that is laden with chemicals. My plants are healthy and disease- and pretty much pest-free…there are always a few stray bugs that die hard.

It took a lot of trial and error to get to this point and I am happy to share what I have learned, hoping it enlightens others that there is a better way to garden by getting back to basics. Let’s start with the potato bugs. Bonide makes a number of organic insect sprays that are made with naturally-occurring ingredients. The active ingredient in Colorado Potato Beetle Spray is Spinosad which is a natural substance made by a soil bacterium that is toxic to insects. It kills the adult bugs, as well as the larvae.

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